This is a development I like to see, especially for Perreault, who was spurned in the off-season but has certainly earned at least another year in Phoenix.

In general, I'm not in favour of basing extensions such as these on such limited auditions — 33 games for Perreault, just 13 for Tellqvist — but it could turn out to be a savvy move for GM Mike Barnett. Tellqvist, in particular, is seeing his value shoot through the roof the more he looks like the team's starter, and if Barnett can ink his top goaltender for under $2-million a season, that positions him well under the salary cap (and undoes some of the silliness of the Jovanovski contract).

Phoenix's record before Perreault/Tellqvist: 3-9-0 (25%)Phoenix's record with Perreault in lineup: 18-13-2 (57.6%)Phoenix's record since Tellqvist's first start: 12-7-2 (61.9%)

The playoffs are still far from a sure thing for Phoenix — they remain seven points back of eighth-place Minnesota — but after the start they had, it's hard to believe Wayne Gretzky's crew is even in the picture.

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About Me

A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and the game of hockey. He is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a radio and TV analyst with TSN and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, James grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.

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